Pharmer.org

What part of your body do they wnat to do prolotherapy on? My pain management doctor recently told me that is about the only hope I have left (other than pain meds of course) for releiving my pain. I have had 2 L4-L5 fusion surgeries - the first one was a "failed fusion", and after the 2nd surgery I was in even more pain than before the surgery. After a long, arduous search for a good pain management doctor, I finally found one who listened to me, and together we ralized that my pain was not coming from my back, but from my sacro-iliac joint on the left side. I have pain in my lower back on the left side to right over my buttock; on ouside part of my left thigh; and even in the front - to the groin on my left side. I couldn't belive I had gone this many years been misdiagnosed! I tried P.T ( at $35 co-pat for every visit!) and cortisone injections under fluroscopy into the left SI joint, all to no avail.

My docotr said that the only thing left to treat this problem is prolotherapy. I had never heard of it, so he explained it to me. I also asked him that if this was his wife having all of these symptoms, and she found out it was from her SI joint, what would he reccomend? He said if I was his wife, he would stillreccomend the prolotherapy, and he referred me to the one doctor in the State of Connecticut that he would trust. He told me there are a lot of doctors out there who practice prolotherapy, but mant of them don't do it the right way.

So I made the appointment and went for a consultation with this doctor. I like him, and after he did a completely thorough exam, he said he too felt that I was a candidate for prolotherapy. I didn't have many questions, since my pain MD explained a lot, and then I researched it on the web, but the one thing this MD added that I didn't/hadn't seen posted is that he said you can do prolotherapy in almost any joint in the body, but he really only recommends it for the SI joint.

After telling me I was a candidate, he then looked at my chart and saw what insurance I had, and said "Oh.....". He then went on to explain that my insurance does NOT cover the injections, and that it was going to cost $200 per injection. He also explained that you basically need 1-3 injections to see if is or will work for you. If you have absolutely NO change after the third injection, then he stops - that's it - no more. But, if you have started to see some relief, even if it is marginal, then you can get up to 3 more, for a total of 6. Also he said they are spaced out so you get one every 3-4 weeks. So, my out-of-pocket expense could be as much as $1200!!

At this point, since I just buroed my mother, I don't have an extra penny to my name. Both my pain doctor, and this new doctor have written a letter to my insurance company, dicatating the medical necessity for the injections, so I am waiting for their denial so I can send it in for an appeal.

Good luck with yours, and I would be interested to hear what part of your body you are thinking of getting prolotherapy for!